Franco Origlia/Getty Images(VATICAN CITY) — In a ceremony Saturday to name 17 diverse new cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis warned against the growing polarization in the world.

Five continents were represented among the group to receive their cardinal rings and hallmark red hats, including three liberal-leaning Americans; Chicago Archbishop Blaise Cupich, former Bishop of Dallas Kevin Farrell and Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin.

In his homily, the pope decried “a virus of polarization” that he said some people saw as “the only way to resolve conflicts.”

The pope called for unity, and warned against those “raise walls, build barriers and label people.”

“We come from distant lands; we have different traditions, skin colour, languages and social backgrounds; we think differently and we celebrate our faith in a variety of rites,” he said. “None of this makes us enemies; instead, it is one of our greatest riches.”